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Reigning in Self-Sufficiency

Are we satisfied with the sufficiency of grace or would we rather be granted an absence from the situation to take the road of self-satisfaction?

Self-satisfaction is never sufficient because it is trapped in the lust of its own flesh. It seeks continually for satisfaction because of the inadequacies Adam finds in what he thought would be sufficient. It never leads to seeking someone, but leads to a struggle to discover something that will give Adam an excuse to live outside the plan. The plan always brings us into necessitating grace. God does not alleviate our need to be dependent. As we grow, we grow into Him, giving up our independence and increasing our need for Him.

God has many ways of revealing grace. Many times people do not like the methods of God’s grace that are bestowed on them. They want grace to change the situation instead of being changed. They want grace to change someone else instead of changing them for someone else. They want God to intervene in their favor instead of accepting God’s favor as grace intervening in the situation. Instead of allowing grace to reign in its total sufficiency, they become exhausted, reigning in their own insufficiency. We determine through faith or unbelief what ultimately controls our lives. Only God’s control through a plan releases abundant life. A control of the Spirit keeps us in the way that we may be free from the controlling forces of Hell.

(1929-2008) pastored and established thriving churches and Bible colleges in Maine, Massachusetts, and Maryland. He also helped pioneer Christian talk radio through Telephone Time and the Grace Hour and authored nearly 500 books and booklets. See also the Carl H Stevens Memorial Site